Hand lift-platform truck



17, 1929. L R. wYLLlE 1339,999

. HAND LIFT 1 LATF0RM TRUCK Filed June 7, 1927 2 Snee'tsSheet 1 5V MWAnte/VB3'.

Dec. 17, 1929.

J. R wYLL |E HAD LIFTl PLATFORM TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 7,1927 v, /NvE/vmg." JOHN @Ww/maf Patented Dec. 17, 1929 JN-Ire srafrrsJorrit RONALD WYLLIE, or NEW; CANAAN, cciviiicrocr; AssrG'NoR To'ANDREWS CRANE CORPORATION, or NEW'YQRK, N. Y;, A CORPORATION "orDELAWARE l HANED mrrinarroaivrTRUCK Applieation'l'd June 7, 1927 SrialNo; 197,051,

the fork and Wheels may be turned tosteerf the truck;y A.litt-plattorniv is inoiintedon the frame and mechanical means is lsorelated theretdand to the handle that by pivotal motion ot the handle onitshorizontal axis the-platform maybe raised and lowered; all of Whichis Well knoWn.- Sii'chtrucks are adapted to be connected With a tractor,.either singly or in atrain, and itis customary to move them 'from pointto pointin-this Wayt But the movement of such 'a' triicl-by=i`iieaiis ofa-tractor is substantially limited to a for-1 Ward or trailingmovement.` Y

lnvk an application filed January 31,' 1927, Seriall No. 165,010, by* mejointly with another, there is disclosed a nevvinethod of handlingfreight Which involves the vmecha-nical manipulationl of lift-'platformtrucks including the-mechanical'insertion of alift platform -beneath aload, mechanically 'raising it from the iioo'r or groundandtransLieriing it'tothecontrol of the truck, carrying it to a desiredpointor"placement, .and there depositingit. This method involves,

also, theremoval and placement 'ofheavy-i loads from and into verycon-'lined spaces Where there is ve'ryj little'space in which to' givethe necessary directedrmovement'to a loaded truck, for Which reason itWould be impossible to mechanically manipulate, by means offa tractor,the ordinary hand'liitplatform truck Whose movement is restricted tomerely a steering movement'byturning the i'ioiitwlieels, as abovepointed out; ln

r manv places Where inechandise is handled viir small volume, poweroperated litt-platform trucks cannot be economically employed. For thisand other reasons a handliitplatform truck having the utility ofthose'cominonly in use With'the added utilitygoi adaptationtomanipulation by" tractor means, is a' desideratum, andit is the obj ectAof niy-inven` tion to embody these'useful?functionszin a; handlift-platform truck, by'simplezmeans.

The'inventioni consists in the structure i and .v

combinations hereinafter described and illus`- trated, and speciiically;pointedout in thezapp'ende'd claims;v Y

In the-'anneXed drawings: Figure 1 .is a side elevation ofiahan'dxlii'tL platform truck embodying,- one V-ornfrot the invention,engaged with atractor;

Fig.` 2 isa plangaview vofithe construction" showninFig. l. p

Fig. 3 isv a-ragmentary vertical crosssec tion, on an enlarged scale,taken on line llI-III of Fig; 2;. Y

Fig. i-is aside elevation Vcfa trainA `o-f-'hand litteplatformtruclrsconnected .With a tractor;

Fig. 5 isa' top planv vievvthereof.` FigxG isfa' diagiammatic plan:view' of va box' car, illustratingk theadaptability of my truck', toymanipulate a yhand lift-platfor1n` truck into ay coniii'ied.` spacefinVvai boxA car;

Fig? is a view similar to Fig. l showing aldiil'e'r'ent form offtruck,connected'with a load shown inrdotted:lines:A l

Fig. .10 is af'front'elevation of this truck.-

Fig. 1l is a plan View of' the frontendxof the truck.' Y' l Alia-ndlift=platform truclro-'f ordinaryv construction may be transformed E byslight changes andadditions to adapt'itLto be ma-l ni'pulated by fa.tractor, as above described, anday truck so 'modiiied'is-shovvn inFigs.-l to 6. A"truckiotvvell-lrnown construction consists of 'arfiaine l, al-lift'fplatform 2 mount# ed thereon, load'esupp'orting Wheels 3 near oneend, andv "one 'or more supporting; Wheels at .thecther end, mountedin ayoke pivoted in anV opening extendingvertically throughr the front framemember "lain the longitudinal axis of'thetriick, such as theopeningfin'-V dicated at4, Fig. 8. According to the'prior lconstruction, a handle, such as designated Iat on a horizontal axis sothat by grasping the any motion imposed upon the truck, and thel handleis a pulling means, and also a means to raise the lift-platform, as inprior constructions. `In Fig. 3 a caster bracket 6 serves as a mountingfor a pair of wheels 7 secured yto the respective ends of an axle 8; Thebracket is pivotally mounted on a bolt 9 passing through the opening1,the upper Vend of which is enlarged into a head 10, and the lower endof which is provided with a nut and washer to hold the bracket in place.Between the head 10 on the bolt and the upper face of the frame member1aM is a collar 11 rotating freely'on the bolt, and the collar isprovided with laterally projecting diametrically opposed pins 12 towhich is p ivoted the handle 5. When the handle is in an uprightposition, as shown in Fig. 3, itis adapted to engage a hook on the endof a link 13 connected with the lift-platform, by means of which thelift-platform is raised, according to well-known practice. 'Ihe framemember 1au is also provided with an eye 14 or other coupling means forconncction with a hook 15 on the end of a draw-bar 16 pivotallyconnected with a tractor 1?.

In order further to modify this old hand lift-platform truck to adapt itto' my purpose, I rigidly secure a bracket 18 to the rear end of theframe, preferably tapering rearwardly, and provided at its extreme endwith an eye 19.0r other coupling means,

adapted to cooperate with a hook on aI drawbar or link connected with alike truck for handling in trains.` v

The form of truck shown in Figs. Z toll is substantially the same exceptthat it involves the incorporation of the ideas above set forth into atruck in the course of manufacture, instead of modifying a truck of oldform. In such case the frame of the truck is tapered rearwardly of theload-supporting Wheels 3, and is equipped near the extreme end with anadditional caster 20. Instead of the centrally arranged caster wheels 7of the first form at the front end of the frame, I provide two casters7a mounted on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis ofthe truck, whichmay be as widely separated as the form of the truck frame will ypermitso as to give a stable support. The front casters, load-supportingwheels and rear caster, are

so arranged as to permit the frame to teeter on the load-supportingwheels. By this4 arrangement the eXtreme end of the frame serves'tosupport a part of the load, at certain times, and adapts the truck to beused in situations where it would be impossible to employ the form shownin Figs. 1 to 6. For example, where a loaded truck Vis pushed up aninclined ramp, the caster at the rear end rst gaging the ramp, the load'is again supported v by the load-supporting wheels and the two frontcasters, assuming the load to have been properly positioned on thetruck. rIne rear end'of the truck is preferably downwardly tapered, asindicated at 1b to permit the insertion of the truck beneath a containerwhen approached at an angle to the horizontal.. Pivotally connected withthe frai'ne of the truck, as indicated at 15b, is a draw-bar16a providedat its end with a hook or other coupling means 15a. y o Y Both Vforms ofthe truck described are adapted to be handled by a tractor equipped witha lsuitable coupling member. Y rllhe prior form of handlift-platforintruck, as above described, was adapted for connection with a tractor, itcould be pulled by the tractor,

but it was not adapted to be effectively moved by the tractor in anyother way. But in order to place a truck with its load into aconiinedspace, such for example, asindicated in Fig. 6, without manual'Jmanipulation of` any kind, i. e., by manipulating the truck intoposition by means of a tractor, it is necessary that it be soconstructed that one end can be moved laterally, as well as vthe wholein a general forward or backward direction.

struction invented jointly by me and another,

which forms the subject matter of' a concurrently filed application. Oneformy ofl the novel tractor is shown in the drawings which will now bedescribed in so far only as its peculiarfeatures cooperate withthe handlift-platform truck to which this application is confined. x

The tractor 17 is preferably of the storage battery type, and comprisesa trame 21 supported by two traction wheels 22 near one end and a singlesteering wheel 23 near the other end, controlled by a tiller handle 24.'Onthe steering end of the tractor frame is mounted a platform 25 tosupport an operator, and to this end also is pivotally coii.

nected, on a horizontal axis, as indicated at 26, a draw-bar 16, havinga hook or other coupling means 15 at its free end, adapted forconnection with the coupling meanson the truck so as to provide a.universal joint. ln this type of tractor it is contemplated that thedraw-bar 16 shall be oie such length that the distance from the axis ofthe steering wheel 23 to the coupling means at the end of the draw-barshall be equal to or greater than, the wheel base, in a tractor ofordinary7 size. lt will be obvious that a tractor ot this constructioncan be caused to turn on a center just outside of either oic thetraction wheels (at an extreme angular setting of the steering wheel)and consequently, that the end or' thedraw-bar 16 may be swung` in acomparatively iiat arc. When a truck provided with casters asabove'described is connected with the draw-bar of suoli a tractor, itwill readily contorniY to the motion imposed upon it by the tractor;also, by reason of the emf- Vployment of a draw-bar of the lengthindicated' the truck, with its load, is permitted to assume a positionsubstantially at right angles to the longitudinal asis oi: the tractor,as indicated in dotted lines in Fig.' 2. Thus '1 the substitution ofcasters for the steering wheel or wheels of the prior hand lift-platformtruck adapts it to be pushed or pulled as before, but also adapts itsend to be swung by means or' a tractor about a centernear thev outerside of one of the load-supporting wheels. The utility ot suoliadaptability is illustrated in Fig. 6, which shows in full lines, atractor connected with a loaded truck in a position in front of a narrowspace in a box f car where it is desired to deposit the load,

and, in dotted lines, a succeeding position,

cations falling within the terms ot the appended claims.

What I claim is l.r In a hand lift-platform truck, a frame taperingtoward the rear, a lift-platform thereon, means for supporting the tramecomprising intermediate load-supporting wheels and two or more castersspaced from the load-supporting wheels, one of said casters being nearthe end of the tapered portion of the frame, a handle universallyconnected withthe front end of the frame, means yfor detachablyconnecting the handle with the lift-platform to operate the same, andcoupling means connected with they front end of the frame.

2. In a hand lift-platform truck, a frame, a lift-platform thereon7 ahandle universally connected with the front end of the trame, means fordetachably connecting the handle with the lift-platform to operate thesaine, means for supporting the frame comprising casters at the frontend of the'frame and loadsupporting wheels placed rearwardly of saidcasters, and coupling means connectedwith the front end of the frame,whereby power lmeans may be applied to the coupling means toi push orpull the truck or thrust it lateral y.

3. The combination specified in claim 2 with the addition of one or morecasters at the rear end of the frame.

4. The combination speciiied in claim 2 in which the Yframe is taperedat its rear end.

Signed by me this 12th day ot' May, 1927.. JOHN RONALD VVYLLIE.

alined with such space, brought about simply p by properly steering thetractor, which would be impossible ot accomplishment with steeringwheels on the truck. By a furtherinove* ment of. the tractor the loadmay be pushed into the space and deposited therein.

From the above description it will be ap arent that I have so modiiiedthe old form of hand lift-platform truck that, while not interferingwith the functions which it pre-l viously possessed, it is givendecidedly new utilities, in that it may be moved with its load into veryconiined spaces solely by mef clianical manipulation with a tractor.,

lt is obvious that the principles disclosed may be embodied indille-rent forms, and it is therefore to be understood that my inventionis not confined to the detailsshown, but includes all changes,substitutions and lmodiii-

